Transcript The Korean Approach to Validation for Lifelong Learning

The Korean Approach to
Validation for Lifelong
Learning
Kim Shinil
Baekseok University, Korea
1. Introduction
Korea
 Population 48 million (North Korea, 25mil.)
 Higher education:
- Institutions 432 (Univ. 189, more than 2/3
is private).
-Students 3,728,802 (Univ. 2,108,958),
mostly young and full time.
- Students bear major part of the expenses.
- Enrolment rate 76%
- Tertiary education attainment of 35~64 age
group: 26%
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In spite of high aspiration of the Korean
adult population for university degree,
it was almost impossible for them to enter
higher education institutions. Universities
were already packed with young students.
As the learning society grew, adults who
desired higher education increased further.
Like elsewhere, Korea also had to take a
bold measure to cope with the situation.
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Validation of Prior Learning has emerged
as a solution of the problem of higher
education related to lifelong learning.
It is agreed that VPL is an instrument of
broadening opportunity of higher education
by recognizing and valuing what people have
learned in their lives.
In long term perspective, VPL leads a
change from the schooling society to the
learning society.
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While many countries in Europe have
utilized VPL for expanding admission to
higher education for underrepresented
group, Korea took a different approach
to the VPL, that is to provide direct
opportunity for the disadvantageous to
obtain higher education degree rather
than to assist entering the higher education.
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The early policy of VPL in Korea, called
‘Bachelor’s Degree Examination for SelfEducation’, was put into operation in 1990
for providing a new track that conferred
bachelor degree through only examination for
people out of formal higher education.
Another measure, called ‘Academic Credit
Bank System’, was introduced in 1998 to
provide opportunity for adult learners who were
able to obtain the degree of higher education
through validation of nonformal learning.
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Both of these measures intended to award
the degrees of higher education to the
people of non-student who are qualified
as having learnt up to same level as
university students.
The degree award approach to VPL/RPL in
Korea has a cultural background in its long
history.
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2. School System and the National
Examination
The old education system of Korea
consisted of schools and the national
examination that lasted more than 10
centuries.
The old dynasty started to build a public
school system from the 7th century, which
had developed to comprise 3 levels: basic
schools, middle schools, and higher
education(the Royal College).
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The national examination started to be
operated a little later since the 10th century.
The examination comprised 3 courses: the
civil exam, the military exam, and specialist exam.
The civil exam, the most prestigious, consisted of
3 stages: lower, upper, and the highest. Specialist
courses included medicine, foreign languages,
accounting, astronomy among others.
The examination had been an important
instrument of qualification for social status as well
as for selecting government officials.
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Age of applicants spread out from the teens
to the fifties.
Although the stages of examination in
part connected with public school levels,
more than half of applicants during the
Choseon dynasty for 500 years, took the highest
examination without attending the royal college .
They, mostly from high class family, managed
learning of exam preparation with personal tutor
or at the private tutoring classes.
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In summary, application for the national
examination in old Korea, unlike China,
was open not only to the graduates of
school but also to people without or
unfinished schooling.
It is needed to explore the function of
the examination as a validation of learning
out of school and university system.
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The Korean traditional education with the
examination system was discontinued at
the end of 19th century, when Korea
adopted the modern education system,
a very schooling-oriented one, developed in
Europe.
However, the alternative track through
examinations has not disappeared until today.
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3. BDES
- The Bachelor’s Degree Examination for
Self-Education emerged in 1990 as an
alternative track that awarded the bachelor
degree based on examination without
attending higher education institutions.
- BDES consists of 4 stages of qualifying
examination: general education, major basic,
major advanced, and comprehensive.
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One or two examinations can be exempted
for learners who already achieved a certain
number of credits from university or had
certificates of concerned area.
- Through the BDES, sum of 14,000 persons
have been awarded bachelor degree in 12
learning areas, Accounting, Chinese language,
Computer science for example, since 1990.
-
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4. ACBS
- The Academic Credit Bank System was
proposed by the President Commission of
Education Reform in 1996 and went into
effect in 1998.
- Recognition of learning at nonformal
education programs for the higher education
degree or diploma by accumulation. About
50,000 learners are granted degree/diploma
for 109 study areas in 2013.
- About 70% of learners are 30 years or older.
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- A noticeable program of ACBS is the
validationof learning during the military
service.
- All Korean young men are enlisted to the
mandatory military service for two years.
- An agreement was made between
Ministers of the Education and the
Defense in 2007.
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- The agreement established a procedure of
recognition of learning from trainings and
educations during the military service, that
can be utilized for credits toward the higher
education degree through the academic credit
bank system, or for vocational qualifications
and licenses.
- About 310,000 soldiers obtained credits
during the years of 2007~2012.
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- Another feature of the ACBS is recognition of
successors’ learning of the traditional arts and craft
transmitted from the intangible cultural heritage.
- Validation toward the degree activated learning of the
traditional arts and craft that have been hardly
respected at universities. Validation is an powerful
instrument for reviving learning of a neglected culture.
- The Headquater of the ACBS recently makes more
efforts to explore new study areas that are not properly
acknowledged at the conventional higher education.
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5. New Developments
- Expansion of validation of workplace learning and
vocational experiences.
Recently several laws have been revised favorably
for validation and recognition of learning in
industry.
For instance: Annually 80 marine engineers
obtained certificate by the recognition of field
experiences after revision of the act of marine
industry manpower in 2008.
The revised Qualification Act expanded coverage
of validation of vocational learning at work.
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- Transformation of University
Universities are requested not only to
provide more programs for adult learners but
also to transform themselves into the lifelong
learner- friendly university.
The project demands the participated
university to be more flexible and friendly to
adult learners and community.
Now, 25 universities are participated to
‘Lifelong Learning-Oriented University’.
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The participated universities are under
process of structural and operational changes.
- admission criteria and process
- reorganization of department/faculty
- curriculum and instructional methods
- introducing new concept of teaching staff
- validation of prior learning
- and so on.
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- Account of Lifelong Learning(ALL)
The ALL was conceived as an overarching
Management system of lifelong learning society
for accumulation, assessment, validation and
recognition of each individual’s all kinds of
learning.
Philosophy of the ALL is that an individual
learner’s abilities deserve recognition whether
they have been achieved through a formal
education or informal learning.
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ALL was recommended by the President
Commission of Education Reform in 1995,
but waited until 2010 to be implemented.
The National Institute for Lifelong
Education(NILE) put ALL in operation in
2000. Learners register their records of
nonformal and informal learning, portfolios,
school records, certificates at the ALL center.
- About 5,000 learners are registered. Very
early stage now but will grow.
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6. Challenges and Tasks
- To educate professionals for nonformal
and informal learning – ‘Lifelong
Education Specialist’.
- To develop policies on RVA as essential
bridge connecting learning and working.
- To reinforce diversification of learning for
higher education.
- To accelerate the shift from education to
learning.
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